Hello

Hi, I'm Claire, founder of Spark Dot Grow, coach, facilitator, and people transformation specialist.

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I grew up on the outskirts of Edinburgh surrounded by farm animals, always eager to get outdoors, always determined to do things my own way. That spirit led me to study Ocean Science and Technology at Heriot-Watt University, which, while seemingly far removed from coaching and consultancy, gave me exactly what I needed: a deep respect for learning curves, an ability to sit with complexity, and an unexpected conversation starter at every networking event since.

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My working life has been what I'd call a squiggly path. I started as a customer service assistant at Sainsbury's, moved into the corporate world, and spent 17 years at Standard Life and Phoenix Group finding my way toward the work that genuinely lit me up. I moved across roles, always chasing the next project that made me want to get up in the morning, learning design, process improvement, knowledge management, AI-enabled change, and eventually, people transformation at scale.

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In 2015 my daughter arrived and the balancing act began. I fought hard for a three-day week, moved roles to protect our family time, and discovered somewhere where I was at my best when I was helping others navigate the same tensions - between ambition and wellbeing, between what looks good on paper and what works in real life.

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In 2019 I took on the chair of Phoenix Group's Mind Matters mental health network, a role I held alongside everything else, and grew it from 80 to 3,000 members. That same year, we packed up and moved to the Scottish Borders to start the life we'd always wanted: nine acres, animals, countryside on the doorstep. Then the pandemic arrived.

Amidst the noise and uncertainty of those years, I kept showing up, for my team, for the network, for the colleagues who needed someone in their corner. In 2022 I was asked to co-lead Phoenix Flex, one of the most significant flexible working transformations in Phoenix Group's history, redesigning how over 6,500 people worked. I left corporate life at the end of 2023 on a high, EMCC coaching qualification in hand, and a very clear sense of what I wanted to do next.

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Spark Dot Grow launched in 2024. Since then, I've coached over 60 individuals through SOSE's Pathways Programme into self-employment, delivered workshops for organisations across Scotland, and in 2026 was named Female Founder of the Year for the South of Scotland.